Director Mark Schwab’s “S.E.R.P.” is thought provoking science fiction, but along the lines of “Primer.” Its considerable low budget confines it to one room where it’s very similar to a stage play, but opts to tell a very interesting story about the evolution of technology and the concept of consciousness and morality. While it’s by no means a perfect indie film, it has aspirations to do more than show off flashy effects and action. It’s based more around how scary cognizant technology is, and how it can be the undoing of pure evil in humanity.
Tag Archives: Drama
TV Guide Spotlight – Cop Shows of the ’70s (DVD)
For folks that like to collect these kinds of compilations, they’re really cheap best of DVD’s from select Mill Creek series comprised of various subjects. “Cop Shows of the 70’s” is definitely one of the better sets from Mill Creek, featuring various episodes from some of the best cop shows of the decade. I would have loved to see some “Hill Street Blues,” but all things considered this is a fun mixed bag with nine hours of mostly Aaron Spelling led crime thrillers.
CBGB (2013)
How do you make a movie about CBGB in the structure of a routine narrative? Where do you start? Why do we have to see the origins of CBGB through a comedy lens? “CBGB” is what Hollywood envisions the origins of CBGB were. It’s clean, it’s sanitary, it’s inoffensive, and it paints some of the most iconic bands in rock music as mere footnotes in the world of the iconic New York club. To make things worse, its star looks really bored with the material, almost as if he’s slogging through a character and a script that he doesn’t quite understand.
Grace Kelly Collection (DVD)
Fans of Grace Kelly will be impressed to see what Warner has in store for them with the release of the Grace Kelly Collection. It’s a compilation of six really important and notable films from Kelly’s acting career, spanning a four year period where she was quite the cinematic heavy hitter. The only caveat to the release is the omission of “Rear Window,” which I think would have topped a great set, but that’s not to say this box set isn’t a heavy weight in its own right either.
Ginger Snaps (2000): Collector’s Edition [Blu-ray/DVD]
Great werewolf films are hard to come by, so it’s a shock to see such an under the radar low budget horror film like “Ginger Snaps” not only get the formula right, but make its own mark in the sub-genre. Most times, the entire werewolf motif has been used to convey feelings of oppression and unbridled savagery as we saw with “The Howling,” and “The Wolfman,” but director John Fawcett aims toward a more feminine message. This werewolf film is about lycanthropy as a metaphor for blossoming in to womanhood. With such overtones and outright straight forward explorations of the themes, “Ginger Snaps” surprisingly knows how to balance its narrative themes well.
The Legend of Billie Jean (1985) [Fair is Fair Edition Blu-ray]
You could likely consider “The Legend of Billie Jean” a precursor to “Thelma And Louise.” It’s a film about female empowerment, and young women dealt terrible injustices that become folk heroes. Not to mention “The Legend of Billie Jean” has every chance to become exploitative man hating trash, but very cleverly straddles the line between goofy eighties adventure, and compelling coming of age drama. I won’t claim “The Legend of Billie Jean” is a straight faced character study, but it’s a fun and often exciting tale of a young woman who takes the world by the balls when she stands up for herself.
Son of Batman (2014) [Blu-Ray]
I’ve admittedly never read the graphic novel upon which “Son of Batman” was based on. I highly doubt I’m missing much, since “Son of Batman” is an unpleasant, tedious, and boring affair that offers little in entertainment value. I’m not sure why, but Damian Wayne, the son of Batman, is apparently very popular with Batman fans. But I can’t really figure out what his appeal is. Damian is obnoxious, irritating, and I really wanted to see him perish at the hands of Deathstroke.